Life Insurance or SBP? Asking The Right Questions
At least once a day, someone asks me some variation of the same question: “I’m trying to decide whether to get life insurance or take the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP.) What do you think?” And at least...
View ArticleKate Rants: TSP Is Not The Right Tool For Timing The Market
Usually, my rants are on subjects that I know inside out. Today’s rant is going to be on a subject about which I know just enough to make an idiot out of myself, and I’m OK with that. Lately, I’ve been...
View ArticleHow To Pick A New Retiree Dental Plan
*This post is part of a membership campaign for MetLife FEDVIP Dental Plan. I am receiving a fee for this post; however, the opinions expressed in this post are my own. I am in no way affiliated with...
View ArticleThe Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) “Payback” Period
Learning about SBP? You definitely want to read Everything About The Survivor Benefit Plan and 10+ Places To Learn About The Survivor Benefit Plan. One of the common complaints about SBP is that the...
View Article2019 TSP and IRA Contribution Limits
The IRS has announced the 2019 contribution limits for tax-advantaged retirement plans. Don’t forget that you can contribute to both a 401(k)/TSP type employer-sponsored plan and an Individual...
View ArticleVision Insurance for Military Families
Starting in 2019, military and retiree families will be able to purchase vision insurance through the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP). Depending on your family’s...
View Article50+ Places To Learn About The Military’s New Blended Retirement System (BRS)
Every single day, I meet a service member or spouse who either doesn’t know about the military’s new Blended Retirement System (BRS), knows wrong information about BRS, or doesn’t know enough about...
View ArticleBlended Retirement System: How To Choose Between The Military’s Retirement...
This post was sponsored by USAA as part of the military personal finance bloggers #BRSBlitz education campaign. As 2018 comes to a close, there is a lot of stuff going on. We’re preparing for various...
View ArticleThe Blended Retirement System Decision: Part Math, and Part Life
Well, it’s 11 December – military service members eligible to choose between the old, legacy retirement system and the new, Blended Retirement System (BRS) have just under three more weeks to make...
View ArticleBRS Interview with Doug Nordman
Welp, I’ve (finally) learned how to edit video enough to make a video that starts and ends at the right place. In this video, I talk to Doug Nordman about the military’s new Blended Retirement System...
View ArticleHow To (Maybe) Fix A Blended Retirement System Opt-In Mistake
You may remember that last January, there was a flurry of concern about folks who had accidentally opted-in to the military’s new Blended Retirement System (BRS) when they were just trying to check...
View ArticleWhat Is A Transition Fund, And Why Do You Want One?
If you’ve hung out around The Paycheck Chronicles long enough, you may have heard me talk about having a transition fund. I think I may have made up that term…maybe not. But I sure am fond of it. So...
View ArticleCommissioning? Understand Your Blended Retirement System Options
May and June are the biggest commissioning time of year. Not only do all the service academies graduate then, but thousands of ROTC students also graduate and enter their active military service. This...
View ArticleNeed A Little Help With Your SBP Decision?
This is a guest post from my good friend Daniel Kopp at Wise Stewardship Financial Planning. Daniel and I have talked extensively about the struggles with the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) decision, and...
View ArticleShould You Sell Back Your Military Leave, or Take Terminal Leave?
One hot topic in military finance is the selling of leave. Generally, these are folks who are separating or retiring, and they’re trying to figure out what to do with their leave. I used to have a...
View ArticleMilitary Retiree Medical: Tricare Prime, Select, or USFHP?
One of the big questions during military retirement is: Which Tricare health care coverage should I choose? Or maybe you’ve been retired for a while, and you’re wondering if the Tricare health plan...
View ArticleBe Sure You Are Keeping Up With These Retiree Newsletters
It can be hard to keep up with changes in benefits, laws, and programs. One of the best ways to remain informed is to read the various retiree newsletters published by each branch of the military and...
View Article49 Things You Need To Know Before Military Retirement
While the Horrell tribe is still a few years from retirement, I’ve been putting together a list of things that already-retired folks tell me that they wish they had known. Take advantage of their...
View ArticleValidate Your TSP Contact Information Or Risk Being Locked Out
Starting in December, Thrift Savings Plan online access will require two-factor identification. Be sure your account details are up to date, or you might found yourself locked out of your account. You...
View Article2020 Retired Military Paydays – With Printables
Military retirement pay comes once a month. It is paid on the 1st of the month unless the 1st is on a weekend or holiday, in which case it is paid on the previous business day (the last business day of...
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